Rainbow Dash sighed, pacing around the spacious cabin of the Aerburg as her boredom continued to grow exponentially. She wanted to go outside and fly, race along the path of the airship, and hang out with Gilda, but whenever she checked down the corridor leading to the docking door, one of the guards stationed inside would stomp his hoof, sending her right back into her restless thoughts. This is stupid! I could have been to Cloudsdale and back six times by now! Dumb unicorns and earth ponies being dropped off at Canterlot.

The Aerburg’s course had been set, upon departure, for the Canterlot Guard’s Training Facility and, aside from the short mooring as it loosed its passengers, hadn’t stopped a single time during the whole trip. When she asked one of the guards if she could stretch her wings a bit all she received was a grunt of denial and not a single explanation as to why. They’re probably just trying to mess with me. I don’t see why they can’t let me go outside to fly!

She turned her gaze to the observation windows, watching the remaining guards fly in formation alongside the vessels. In the few hours since the griffon forces had been killed, no others had tried to make an assault on the ships and so, Rainbow had been left with nothing to do but wait. After the emotional events following the Ponyville attack, she couldn’t get herself to relax enough to try and nap as she always did to pass the time. Ugh! This sucks! How far is Cloudsdale anyways!? The drift schedule for this week said it’d be just outside of Fillydelphia so we should be there by now.

“Hey, Rainbow Dash? Um, do you know when we’re supposed to get there?” Rainbow turned towards the pony that had approached her. She rubbed her forelegs together, her eyes flitting about as her nervousness continued to rise. “I checked the schedule for Cloudsdale before we left and it said it was over Fillydelphia. We left Canterlot about an hour and a half ago. I mean, I don’t want to doubt the captain’s abilities, but some of us are getting kind of scared.”

Rainbow looked to the group of pegasi behind them and could practically feel the unease filling the air around the mass of quivering ponies. She laid a hoof on the mare’s shoulder and smiled as reassuringly as she could. “Don’t worry, Dizzy. I’m sure there’s some reason for the delay. I’ll go talk to the captain and figure out what’s up. I’m getting tired of waiting myself.”

Dizzy’s features relaxed somewhat as Dash trotted past her, heading for the staircase to the higher levels. Rainbow waved a hoof towards her before climbing up the stairs, ignoring the few ponies that were moving around her. She ascended past the passenger quarter, casting a quick glance towards the luxurious halls before continuing her ascent, and opened the door to the personnel level. She was immediately met by another guard, this one blocking her from continuing into the area. “Halt. Passengers are not allowed past this point.”

“Move it, bucket head. I need to talk to the captain.” She tried to push past him, but was blocked by an outstretched wing. “Hey! What’s the big idea!?”

“Only airship staff are permitted past this point. All recruits are to remain in the designated passenger levels until we arrive at Cloudsdale.”

“Seriously? I can’t even ask the captain a question?” She glared at the gray armored pegasus, her brow furrowing as her muscles tensed. “Fine! I’ll just go through you, then!” She tackled the guard where he stood and rolled off of him before dashing down the hallway, her vision set on the next flight of stairs. She could barely hear the stallion cursing over the drone of the engines as he recovered from the sudden assault, but ignored him, taking the turn up the stairwell as quickly as she could. Her legs and chest hurt from the crash against the guard’s armor, but she put it to the back of her mind and instead focused on the task at hoof: Find the captain and ask him what the buck was going on.

At the top of the stairs, Dash turned towards the door on her left, the one that wasn’t emitting a very audible roar, and shoved it open to find a red earth pony at the helm along with several unicorns and pegasi monitoring various magical consoles around the room. “Are you the captain of this ship?”

All eyes turned towards her save for the pony at the wheel as she stomped towards him. “I am. Name’s Silver Lining. May I ask why you’ve barged onto the flight deck unannounced, recruit?” He kept his focus trained on the sky before him, never once deviating from his duty.

“I would have had permission if the guard would have let me through.”

A loud clanking sounded behind her and, just before she could turn around to see what was causing it, she was pinned to the ground by a rather heavy pegasus dressed in thick armor. “Got you! Don’t worry, sir. I’ll have this mare taken away and locked up till we reach Cloudsdale.”

“Hey! Get off me, you jerk!” Rainbow tried to buck him off of her back, but she could hardly wiggle her legs enough to get them at her sides. There wasn’t any way she was going to be able to lift him without outside aid. “What the hay! I’m trying to ask him a question!”

“Let her go. She hasn’t done me any harm so I don’t see the need to restrain her. Besides, she’ll leave as soon as she’s asked her question, won’t she?” Dash nodded swiftly and, after a few moments’ hesitation, the guard lifted himself off of her back and stood up straight. He gave a curt salute and left, ignoring the faces and gestures Rainbow was making in his direction. “Now, what is it you wanted to ask?”

Dash snapped to attention and chuckled nervously despite knowing that the stallion hadn’t turned to look at her at all. “I wanna know why it’s taking so long to get to Cloudsdale. We’ve been flying for hours and, considering Cloudsdale isn’t too far from Canterlot ‘cause it’s near Fillydelphia right now-.”

“Oh, Cloudsdale isn’t anywhere near Fillydelphia right now.”

“Wait.... What? What do you mean Cloudsdale isn’t near Fillydelphia? The schedule said-.”

“The schedule is fake. Did you honestly think that after all of the griffon attacks on the various towns and cities, Cloudsdale would just leave itself open to attack like that by distributing drift information to anypony that happens to want a copy?” Rainbow’s features dropped into a frown. “I’m not a pegasus so I don’t know anything about the cloudflying stuff, but I’m certain that giving out information as powerful as your location could be easily used against them. They only give the true schedule to the highest officials in Equestria and they only give it out to those that need it such as myself.” He smirked and looked back at her, finally taking his eyes off the skies in front of him. “Cloudsdale is currently anchored just off the shore of the Great Equine Ocean. They’ve been there since the griffon attacks have begun,” gloated Lining.

“Anchored? You mean they stopped drifting completely?” She sat on her haunches and stared out the window dumbfounded. “They only do that in the event of a disaster. Cloudsdale wasn’t attacked, was it?”

“I’m not entirely sure. I haven’t seen the city in months since it passed by Canterlot, but with the way the country has been lately, I wouldn’t doubt it.” He returned his focus back on the aerial path before him. “Now, go back down and wait. We should be there in about half an hour or so. Tell the rest of them what’s going on as well. I’d hate for everypony to be getting as antsy as you are.”

Rainbow nodded and stood back up on unsteady legs before starting the short trip back down to the passenger levels. If the Cloudsdale, the aerial fortress itself, has been hit like Ponyville.... We might not have a chance….

Tyra shook slightly, her eyes wide as sweat dripped down her forehead. “Are.... Are you sure you want me to do this, My Lord? I don’t think they’ll react well if they find out. I.... I don’t want to face her if she does....”

“It will be fine as long as you are discreet. Now do as you are told and make sure they get around town without issue.” Jahurl smiled and waved her out of his office, doing his best to ease the girl’s mind.

“Yes, My Lord.” She smiled weakly and bowed before leaving the room to find the two mares waiting patiently in the lobby. “Queen Moon, Lady Sparkle. If you’d like, I’ll show you all of the most popular shops in town so you can enjoy the city to its fullest.”

“That would be desirable. Lead on, Tyra and we shall follow.” Nightmare Moon took a step towards the door and pulled it open, bathing the area just beyond the threshold in moonlight. “I do not have a preference as to where we can go so I leave the choice to you.”

Tyra nodded and quickly took her place at the head of the group. “I’ll show you everything that I can so you can get a feel for what we have here.” They walked casually towards the more populated sections of the town and soon began to see small groups of minotaurs moving about as they started their day. “As you can probably tell, our most important product that we export would be our metalcraft. We make various weapons, armor, and other more day-to-day stuff such as dining utensils and parts for larger creations. We have many weavers in town from the Grandimino Peaks that sell their various creations in the market square. We don’t have much in the way of home grown food, however we do have some pretty amazing ways of preparing the food we import.”

They passed through the busy streets of the town, the two ponies taking in the sights of the minotaurs performing their usual routines without missing a single beat. The pair checked the first line of shops’ windows as they passed noting the wood and metal products, but not taking too much interest. Tyra turned them down a wider road and Twilight, almost immediately, stopped in front of a wide window on their right. She smiled widely and looked up at Nightmare.

“Can we see what they have in here? I’d love to see if it differs from Equestria.” She spoke quickly and in a higher pitch than she was used to, but she didn’t care. This shop needed to be explored.

“We have the entire day to do whatever we please. If you want to peruse this shop’s wares, then I do not see why we would not.” Nightmare opened the door and stepped in just as the small bell above the door finished its chime.

An older female minotaur looked up from the counter she was seated behind and smiled broadly. “Welcome! Don’t get too many ponies in my shop, but feel free to browse. Everything on the shelves is for sale.” Her voice was somewhat hoarse, but inviting nonetheless.

Twilight stepped through the door and took a deep breath, sighing with a small smile on her muzzle. This is so great! I haven’t been to a book shop since my parents got that new shipment six months ago! Another deep breath to relax her even further and she set about eyeing the stock. There are so many things I haven’t seen before! What do I want to get!? “Umm, ma’am? I don’t know much about the books you have in here. Do you think you could give me some recommendations?”

The woman stood and walked over to Twilight, smiling broadly. “Ah, a fan of literature and written word, I assume?” Twilight nodded rapidly, a wide smile played across her face. She chuckled and began reaching for various titles. “I admit I don’t know much about pony interests, but I do know a few of my personal favorites. Here we have Minotaur History: A guide to ancient Minotaur lore. It’s one of a five part series describing our culture and various points in our extensive lineage and explains back as far as when we started actively recording what we knew. I’m sad to admit that it’s not nearly as far back as I’d have liked. I really wish I knew exactly where we came from. Next we have Metallurgy and Minotaur Smithing: A Reference Guide. It goes into great detail in explaining how Valtauran smiths understand and work with the various metals we use in all of our work. It is one of the few books that most minotaurs have to read as they grow up. Our entire lifestyle here in Valtaura relies on metalworking. Now, for the treat on the top of the cake, I present to you the greatest work of literature in minotaur history: The Great Migration.”

“The Great Migration? You have this story as well?” Twilight’s eyes shone in the dark, glowing a light blue as her excitement swelled.

“Oh my, your eyes are quite amazing, young one.” The unicorn looked back at her, confused, but the minotaur merely smiled. “It’s nothing, dear. Now you said you have The Great Migration back in pony land? What’s it about?”

“Oh, I’m not entirely sure since I haven’t been allowed to read it. My old mentor....” Twilight paused, her excitement dying down as thoughts of Celestia played in her mind. She slowly recalled the dream, her words to Nightmare ringing in her head. I can’t believe I denied her so readily.... She was so important in my life and I just....

“Young one? Are you alright?”

Twilight snapped out of her thoughts and shook her head, smiling sheepishly. “Oh, uhhh.... Yeah, I’m fine. I was just thinking about something.” Nightmare Moon lowered the book she was skimming, her eyes watching Twilight’s smile fade. “I was saying that my mentor never let me read it. I don’t think anypony was allowed to read the book. I’m not sure why, though.”

The shopkeeper frowned and lowered the tome to the pony’s level of vision. “It’s a story about a terrible war that tore this world apart two thousand years ago. It’s not a first hand account by any standard, but it was written around the time that the war ended. It describes what happened during the ten years the war raged through and the aftermath of it all. I can understand why your mentor would want to keep it from the populace, but it truly is a magnificent piece of art and a great reminder about past mistakes.” Her eyes were practically burning with the passion of a true pursuer of literary knowledge and Twilight found herself yearning to read about this tale.

She looked at Nightmare once more, her purple eyes pleading in place of her words. The alicorn couldn’t help but to grin. “We’ll take all seven of the suggested tomes. I would also like to take this one on basilisk theory.”

The minotaur nodded and walked behind her counter, carrying the seven books Twilight had chosen, and accept the one Nightmare Moon was levitating. “That’ll be twenty-three silver bits for all eight.”

Tyra’s mouth dropped as she tried to stutter out an objection. “Tw.... Twenty-th.... Twenty-three silvers!? You’ve gotta be joking!” She scowled at the woman, her brows squeezing together. “That’s outrageous for just a few books!”

“Why? Are silvers high in the monetary system?” Twilight’s head tilted slightly, confused by the girl’s outburst.

“Our monetary system has three levels starting with the common bronze bit which has the lowest value of the three. Next is the silver bit which is worth one hundred bronze bits and following that is the gold bit which is worth one hundred silvers. So, twenty-three silver bits is two-thousand three hundred bronze bits which is completely too much for just a few books.”

“Ah, well that is my price. The set of five books are two silvers apiece and the copy of The Great Migration is worth eight and fifty bronze. The last remaining copy of Basilisk Lore is worth ten silver bits. If anything I’m giving you a discount!”

Twilight’s pleading eyes were now turned towards Tyra as she tried her greatest to convince the girl to get them. Eventually she sighed and dug into the pouch to fish out the coins to purchase the tomes. “Dumb bookshop woman overcharging for some stupid books....” She continued muttering to herself as she took the newly bagged tomes into her grasp and began walking towards the door.

“Thanks for the purchase, my dears. I hope you enjoy them!” The woman smiled at the retreating customers and returned to her own book in front of her.

“Thanks a lot, Tyra! I can’t wait to read these when we get back to our room! What’s our next stop?” Twilight beamed, as she practically danced on her hooves through the growing crowd of pedestrians.

“I guess we can check out the market square next. I’m sure you’ll be able to find all kinds of stuff that suit your fancy there.” She sighed and returned to mumbling under her breath. “Better not be another bout of rip-offs this time though.... Seriously, trying to take advantage of a girl because she’s young....”

The trio made their way through the streets, occasionally stopping at stores as they noticed things that intrigued them. They spoke to a few minotaurs that let their curiosity overcome their need to work and found their reactions to be a mix of surprise and interest towards the ponies. They stopped after a few hours of browsing and decided to have lunch at a small cafe in the center of Valtaura’s market district.

“This is the Brown Cow. The best cafe in the city as far as I think. Not sure why they named it that though. Seems kind of silly to me.” Tyra shrugged.

“The name comes from the idea that minotaurs were nothing but bovines in the past and somehow evolved into what we are now.” Tyra yelped and jumped out of her chair, completely taken off guard by the sudden appearance of a large male minotaur standing behind her wearing a white apron. “Hehe. Sorry about that. I’ve been told that I need to stop sneaking up on the customers. My name is Toro. Welcome to The Brown Cow. What can I get for you this fine afternoon?”

His voice was deep and cheerful, somewhat similar to Jahurl’s as far as Twilight noticed, but seemed to have a younger tone to it. “Oh.... Umm.... What would you recommend? We don’t really know what any of this stuff on the menu is.”

“I’ll have the ‘Blackpowder Cactus’ and will be sharing it with my companion.” Twilight looked up to Nightmare Moon, curiosity played on her face, but just shrugged and nodded, content to eat whatever her lover suggested.

“I’ll just have a light salad. I’m not all that hungry.” Tyra handed the small menus to their waiter and looked towards the two ponies who stared at her questioningly. “What? I don’t eat a lot.”

Nightmare Moon looked around at the various shops surrounding them and watched as every minotaur stole glances at the trio sitting together under the warm afternoon moon. This civilization is intriguing, but it lacks the organization of a strict rule. They seem content, however. Maybe it’s- Nightmare flinched slightly as something warm and soft pressed against her side and looked down to see Twilight leaning against her, eyes closed and breathing evenly. Did she... just fall asleep? Ah, yes.... I almost forgot about the scar and the drain that lost magic can have on a pony. I’m surprised that she was able to carry me as far as she did last night. The black alicorn returned to watching the Valtauran population as she searched the shops for anything that might interest her.

Tyra watched Twilight, a faint smile on her lips at the cute scene playing out before her, until she heard the queen begin to speak. “What is that shop over there? The one with the shining garments in the open display?”

She lifted her head and spun around to see where Nightmare Moon was pointing. “Oh! That’s Madame Meerlon’s silversilk shop. She makes the finest spools of silversilk I’ve ever seen. It’s a difficult craft to take up as it requires very precise hand work and extremely honed abilities. I don’t think many could even attempt to create silversilk, let alone perfect it. She is truly a master craftswoman.”

Perhaps Twilight would like another dress to wear around the castle as opposed to her first. “We will go to that shop after we are finished with lunch.” Tyra nodded and smiled as Toro walked silently over to the table.

“Your food, ladies. Enjoy and do not be afraid to call me if you need assistance.”

Nightmare nudged Twilight with her side making the unicorn blink her eyes before realizing where she was leaning. She squeaked and jumped away from the alicorn. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you!”

“It is fine, Twilight. Our food has arrived.” Before them sat a large bowl of boiled cactus, the green plant sitting in a broth made from a mixture of the cactus’ slime and some black and red powders mixed in with corn and a few leafs of lettuce.

Twilight could feel her mouth watering as she stared at the mixture and let the scent of spice and vegetables fill her nostrils. Nightmare levitated a pair of spoons and filled them both with the food before lifting them to their recipient’s mouth. Twilight blushed and accepted the food, chewing the vegetables and swallowing it. “This is pretty.... Oh, jeez that’s spicy!” Her eyes were watering and a slight bit of mucous dribbled out of her nose, but she was otherwise quite content. “Wow! That’s delicious, but very spicy.”

Tyra laughed and watched them eat their food as she slowly picked at her own. They are kind of cute together if you ignore the fact that one of them is an almighty goddess and queen of her kind and the other a mere common pony. They all finished their meals and paid for the food after washing down the burning after taste with some of the proprietress’ natural milk.

They stood to leave, Tyra and Twilight following Nightmare Moon to the shop she had pointed out earlier. They stepped up to the open window-made-counter and called out to the minotaur working in front of a small forge. “Madame Meerlon. I would like to inquire about your crafts.”

Meerlon looked up from the pieces of silver she was working with, adjusting her metal-framed glasses further up her nose, and grinned further than the ponies thought possible. “Welcome to my shop, Queen of The Night! I’m glad you’ve taken a fancy to my wares as I spend many, many hours perfecting each piece! And before you ask, I know who you are since I listen to just about every going-on in the city. A woman’s gotta keep herself informed of potential customers after all. Now, what can I help ya with?”

“I was looking to have a dress made for my partner and thought that your material would be perfect for such a thing. Have you any skill in creating clothing for ponies?”

“I can’t say I do. I’m not even that good at making clothes for minotaur to be honest. My skill extends only as far as the making of the silver silk. After that, it’s up to other craftsmen to shape it into what they need.” She smiled despite her inability to fully assist the alicorn. “I can tell you, though, that my material is the best you’ll find anywhere. It’s light as a feather and extremely sturdy. You won’t find any better quality anywhere. All you’d need was a skilled designer and I’m sure you’d have the best dress in all of the world.”

Twilight looked up to Nightmare, her eyes alight with and wavering in the light. “You want to get me another dress? Th.... Thank you. I umm.... I might know a pony that could help us make it, though.”

“Oh? Who do you think would be able to make it? If it can be done, then I want it to be.”

The byzantium unicorn dropped her gaze to the ground, a frown working its way onto her features. “It’s the same mare that made the first one. I’m sure she could do it, but....”

“Ah, yes. I remember her. She did a fine job on the first one. Perhaps she will be able to make another.” Nightmare felt her emotions twinge and looked down to Twilight, noticing how she could barely hide her grimace. “But, what? Why are you so upset?”

“That was one of the Elements of Harmony. You said that if you ever saw any of them again, you’d kill them. I.... I kind of want her to come back, though. Not to free me..., but to explain why I killed Brook. I don’t know if she’ll ever forgive me, but I want her to at least understand. Could.... Could we ask her? If not, then I won’t ask again.”

“I will request her services once more. I do not doubt that you would never try and escape, so I will accept your request. If she, and only she, comes, then I will allow it.” Nightmare Moon looked up towards her namesake. “I’m surprised that I didn’t notice who she was considering I have seen her thrice since my return.” She returned her gaze to Meerlon and nodded. “I’ll take a bolt of silver silk.”

“Of course! One bolt of silver silk comes to thirty-seven gold bits.” The two ponies and Meerlon heard a barely audible swear behind them, but they were soon pushed aside by the red-faced Tyra as she practically threw the bits at Meerlon.

“Damn expensive ponies just throwing money wherever they please....” She grabbed the bolt of silver silk and started trudging back towards the dignitaries’ quarters, her cloven hooves clopping loudly against the cobbled street. Twilight giggled and followed behind her and was soon joined by Nightmare as they returned to their temporary residence.

“Come back if you ever need any more! I’ll be sure to give you a discount next time!”

The New Mareland central courtyard was alive with laughter and activity. The two fillies’ and servant’s little game of knights had garnered the attention of several other servants and now included a large mass of ponies. The group had split into warring factions, the ‘good guys’ led by Moon Beam, were slowly taking over the ‘bad guys’, who were led by that first mare, as they tried their best to get the ‘princess’, Cherry Tart, out of their evil clutches. Play kicks were launched and false squeals of agony were echoed in the night as the battle raged on claiming several snickering lives as they went down for the count.

Moon Beam’s forces were slowly gaining ground over the ‘evil’ mare’s own troops and it was only a matter of time before the brave ‘knight’ had conquered her enemies to claim the princess for her own. “Don’t worry, Princess Tart! The good knight Moonie is here to save you!” Her words were followed by a raucous laughter as every pony around her fell victim to her antics. She giggled along with them and charged ahead, ‘felling’ any pony that got in her way.

“Oh, no! Help me Sir Moonie! The Evil Mare of Evilness is going to eat me!” Cherry couldn’t help but to giggle at her own words, knowing full well how silly they were.

“Wahahaha! You cannot stop my reign of terror, puny knight! Nopony can stop me now that I have your Princess! Wahahaha, I’mma gonna win!” She pretended to twirl a moustache as she cackled madly over the roaring laughter and joy that banished the loneliness of the night.

Moon Beam rushed through the ponies, swatting at the evil doers as she passed until, finally, she was face to face with her ‘arch nemesis’. She pointed a hoof at the mare and puffed out her chest. “I’m here for you, Evil Mare! Surrender the Princess or I’ll beat you up, too!”

The servant stifled a snicker and set Cherry down behind her. “I’ll never let you have her back! En garde!”

The two engaged in an intense battle, their play swings clashing in the light of the moon as they made ‘swooshing’ and ‘clanging’ noises as they pretended to clash swords with each other. Their eyes were focused, brows furrowed as each pony moved their hooves in perfect rhythm with each other, their mock war coming to a crescendo. The mare knocked Moon Beam to the ground and the filly rolled away comically eliciting a ‘startled’ gasp from the crowd.

The servant stood above Moon Beam, twisting her moustache once more. “Wahahaha! Any last words, ‘brave’ knight, before I finish you once and for all!?”

Moon Beam giggled as Cherry Tart came up behind the mare, the widest grin the two had ever seen plastered across the red filly’s face. “Only one, Evil Mare of Evilness! I win!” Cherry mock swung her hoof, tapping the mare on her shoulder and causing her to fall dramatically to the ground as Moon Beam ‘recovered’.

“Curse you, Princess Tart and Sir Moonie! I’ll never let this deed go unpunished! Wa... ha... ha... haaaa....” Her tongue lolled out of her mouth, drooping as she pretended to die.

A series of cheers from the victors and ‘awww’s from the losers sounded through the night before, after so much ridiculous entertainment, the entire group burst into laughter and rolled on the ground. The laughter ended just as abruptly as it had began as a gurgling cry of pain followed by several more tore the ponies’ attention from their fun. They all turned towards the source to see a half-score griffons descending upon the group, two of their blades already dripping blood as they stood over the bodies of their first victims. The group panicked and began to flee moving as quickly as they could for the entrances of the castle, their screams echoing in the darkness.

Their cries fell on deaf ears, however, as the guards had begun to ignore the group after the first few ‘squeals of terror’ had torn them from their posts only to be met with the confused glances of the merry party. The griffons tore down anypony they could reach, their blades singing through the air to dispose of their prey as they slowly made their way over to the trio of ponies huddled together in abject terror.

They drew closer and Cherry screamed, her howl of dismay ringing in Moon Beam’s ears. The filly’s eyes twitched and started to glow while her body lost its shape and morphed, growing into her nightmare form. Her hind legs took on a feline fashion and great feathered wings sprouted from her back as her forelegs thinned into sturdy avian talons. Her neck grew thinner as her snout morphed into a beak and, just as she opened her deep, black eyes, a red starburst formed around the sockets as a type of feather-brand. The Moon Beam griffon shrieked loudly, as she lunged at the stunned group.

The ten fled from their sinister mimic, utterly terrified of a griffon nearly four times their size, but they didn’t stand a chance. Moon beam grabbed two in one of her talons and crushed them together turning the parts of them in her grasp into a bloody mush. A swipe of her other claw rent another into shreds after he took wing to try and escape. She charged on, chasing the remaining seven and pounced on a pair that had remained together on the ground, crushing them beneath her weight. She spread her wings, cawing into the night, and snapped at another with her beak, severing its spine. She watched the remainder flee, unable to catch up with them lest she leave the ponies below undefended and so, gave up her chase to land beside Cherry Tart and their temporary guardian.

Cherry cowered under the mare’s body as Moon Beam approached, her sobs filling the area as she tried to hide even further out of sight. The griffon-filly slowly began to revert, the blood from the griffons soaking into her body until, finally, she was once more back in her filly form. She stepped closer to Cherry, her friend, and reached out a hoof only to have the terrified filly scream a few words and run away at the sight of her.

Moon Beam fell to her haunches, dumbstruck by Cherry’s reaction. Why.... What did she scream at me for.... Tears streaked down the navy filly’s face as her body began to quiver. What.... What did I do? She sobbed loudly, and felt the mare pull her into a tight hug, but she didn’t care. Why did she call me.... A monster? Her wailing cries filled the night, their ethereal echoes causing anything that heard them to shiver without fully understanding why....

Author’s notes: Heh. Sorry this one took so long. Had to have my editors beat me with sticks and shove hot coals up my butt to keep me working on it. I COULDN’T HELP IT! SO MANY FUN GAMES TO PLAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!! Back to the point. Chapter 31. Filled with D’awwwwww and ended with FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU. Ain’t I just the evilest thing ever? I think so. Well, hope you enjoy (or not, technically? How can you enjoy that ending? What kinda sicko are you?). Make sure to check out Necro Domina if you haven’t already (seriously. Why haven’t you?) Blah blah blah. I’m awesome Dealwithit.jpg blah blah. Anyhooves, have fun! Peppy out!

P.S. Thanks jekyll for keeping my on track!

P.P.S. God you jerk, not letting me have any fun. >:( lol

Editor’s Notes #1: My god, do you know just how hard it is to force hot coals up someone’s arse. No! Well, it’s pretty damn hard.... But enough about Peppy and his laziness. There was much D’aww to be had here. Between Nightmare and Twilight’s interactions and the first half of the Cherry and Moonbeam scene, I predict a staggering increase in the number of heart attacks in the days following the release of this chapter.

P.S. On a more serious note, I have already announced that I will be collecting all the (unpublished) side stories and fixing them up a bit. I’ll then be posting a Mega-comment at the top of the next chapter’s comment section containing all of them or, if there’s more then I think there are, I’ll be splitting them up by author. All credit will be given to their respective writers. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I’ll be seeing all of you next time. Ciao.

Editor’s Notes #2: Too busy playing ME3? Not for ATFN!